How to replace lost Teeth

Most of the time people with missing teeth find it almost impossible to hide their lost teeth. This is embarrassing and may lower your self-esteem. Sometimes decayed or severely aching teeth may need to be removed, leaving a gap behind.

The gap if not filled will cause some mouth distortions and make it challenging to chew your favorite meals. Replacing the missing teeth also improves your aesthetics and brings back the ‘killer’ smile you once had.

There are several options available for replacing lost teeth. It all depends with you. You also have an option of leaving the gap unattended to but this will lead to discomfort and low self-confidence. In addition, adjacent teeth may gradually shift to the position adding more gaps to your jawline. However, it is inexpensive, you literally pay nothing for the gap.

You may also decide to replace the lost teeth using one of them following options.

1. Dental Implant
2. Dentures
3. Bridge

Dental Implants

Advantages of Dental Implants

1. Don’t slip or shift away
2. Easy to clean
3. Support themselves

Before you consider using this option you must make sure that your dental health allows such. You need to have healthy gums and sufficient jawbone to support the implant.

A dental implant is a titanium root strategically placed into the jawbone. The planted root is left for some time to integrate with your bone before the next procedure. The reason is to allow the root to be strong enough to support the tooth that will be placed on it for as long as you live.

After integration of the root with the jawbone a dental prosthetic is placed on it. But before the healing is complete you are normally given a temporary crown to help you in speaking and chewing.

After total healing, a minor surgery is usually done to remove gum flesh which has grown on the root covering it. Then fixtures are put on the implant so as to strongly hold the crown placed.

Dentures

Advantages of Dentures

• More economical way to replace lost teeth
• Takes a shorter time to fix

Dentures are another perfect way of replacing lost teeth. There are two types of dentures. Partial and complete dentures. Partial dentures are use when you have lost some of your natural teeth, on the other hand, complete dentures are used when you have lost all your natural teeth.

Partial dentures use metal clasps and some other materials for attachment to the jawbone whereas complete dentures use adhesives or dental implants for support.

Bridge

Advantages of Dental Bridges

• Cheaper compared to other methods
• Takes a shorter time to be fixed compared to implants

Bridge is the last option one has when it comes to replacing lost teeth. It constitutes two or more crowns attached to the teeth on its opposite sides. Here abutment or anchoring teeth hold the bridge in place and give it all the support it needs. Dental bridges can use natural teeth or implants to be fixed in position.

From the above comprehensive explanations of the options you have, it is clear that it all depends with you, the patient. However, you should understand that all these methods are prosthetic and only try to do what the natural teeth used to do.

Before deciding which option to choose from making sure to get advice from a denturist first. They know best what suits you.